EVs offer significant advantages over gas-powered vehicles, but if you’re new to the world of electric cars, they can be confusing. From choosing a trim level to planning a road trip, here are five easy rules every electric vehicle owner should know and follow so they can get the most out of their car, truck, or SUV.
🔌 Check out our recommendations for the best home EV chargers:
🏆 Best Overall Charger: JuiceBox 40 – https://go.evpulse.com/EVSE-BestOverall (affiliate)
🏷️ Best Value Charger: Emporia EV – https://go.evpulse.com/EVSE-BestValue (affiliate)
🔗 Full List w/ Reviews: https://go.evpulse.com/EVSE-BestList
👏 Join this channel to get access to perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCFvAGQioaTHJaOLjp3s4cQ/join
🚗 More EV Pulse Features: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLPSKilVZK-JJp7_hiQOEmxnrl3CiGIqdA
⏱️ Chapters
0:00 Introduction
0:30 What Type of Charger Should You Install?
1:33 What Should You Avoid?
2:16 Do This Before A Road Trip
4:00 Go Big or Go Home
5:04 What is the Most Important Tip?
6:43 Write These Down!
👩💻 For the latest news from the electric vehicle frontier visit EV Pulse (https://www.evpulse.com).
📚 EV Pulse has all the information you need to master Electric Vehicles! How do you reduce range anxiety? Should you keep your car constantly charged? All of those questions and more are ones we want to help you answer, so you can be an expert when it comes to EVs.
➡️ Follow EV Pulse on Social:
https://www.facebook.com/EVPulseOnline/
https://www.instagram.com/evpulseonline/
@evpulse
🇪🇸 🇲🇽 ¿Hablas español?: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-Wd_w9YglasvW_itwq8FhQ
#EVPulse #EVPulseFeature #CraigCole
EVS offer significant advantages over combustion powered cars and trucks but if you’re looking to make the switch to an electric and have only ever driven something that runs on gas or diesel it can be very confusing never fear though here are five Simple Rules every electric vehicle owner should know and follow so they can get the most out of their car or truck let’s count them down okay rule number five for the best electric vehicle experience you pretty much need to have a level two AC charger in your garage or carport or wherever you park your EV these Chargers technically electric vehicle Supply equipment or evss if you’re feeling pedantic allow you to replenish a vehicle’s battery pack overnight so it’s topped up and ready to go first thing in the morning and of course this is incredibly convenient because you pretty much always have a full tank and for local driving at least you will never need to use a public charger now that being said yes some motorists that don’t travel very far or if they charge up at work for instance can get away with using a much slower 110 volt level one charger at home but they are certainly the exception to our rule also level two Chargers are usually exceedingly affordable though they can cost a pretty penny if you need electrical work or a service upgrade so be aware of potential additional expenses all righty then rule number four avoid DC fast charging when slower charging will do of course this is the only practical way to quickly travel long distances in an electric vehicle and DC fast charging of course is perfectly fine 100% AOK to do it’s just that it puts a lot of stress on an Eevee’s battery pack and of course it’s way more expensive than just juicing up at home so if you want to maximize your vehicle life get the most out of the battery that you possibly can DC fast charging only when necessary is the way to go and just like the previous rule having a level two charger at home means you can minimize how much you have to DC fast charge moving right along rule number three is plan ahead you can’t replenish an ev’s battery like filling a gas tank that’s not how it works at least not yet so if you’re taking an electric vehicle on a long TR trip look up charging stations along your route before hitting the road selecting a few alternate locations is not a bad idea either so there are no surprises when it’s time to juice up you know it wasn’t that long ago that we all kept Maps or an atlas in the car just in case and this situation is no different now of course many newer EVS feature Dynamic route planning which helps to locate ideal Chargers but there are several great third party surfaces as well including including a better route planner also remember that extreme heat and especially cold conditions can significantly reduce an electric vehicles range so if you’re trekking to Grandma’s house to celebrate St ago’s name day or birthday two of my favorite madeup holidays make sure to leave home with a full battery or prepare to charge earlier and more often than you might normally additionally it’s a good idea to install various charging Network apps into your smartphone and then sign in or create an account for the ones you need this way you’re ready to go and don’t have to Fumble with passwords or credit cards when you’re trying to charge and finally be aware that carrying heavy loads or driving in hilly terrain can negatively impact vehicle range so take that into consideration when planning a trip basically until public Chargers are as numerous as gas stations you need to do a little extra leg work for a seamless experience rule number two is go big or go home when shopping for an EV it’s a good idea to get the model with the most range that you can reasonably afford if granny lives say 200 M away in the next state an electric vehicle That’s rated at 250 M on a charge will technically work but if it’s the middle of winter there are strong headwinds or you’re carrying a heavy load you might have to stop and charge which takes extra time and of course can be very annoying conversely if you purchased the trim level that offers 300 M of range this wouldn’t necessarily be an issue at all so that’s our recommendation get an EV with more range than you think you’ll need your future self will probably thank your present self which I guess would technically also be past you if you buy an Eevee after watching this video or don’t you have to decide for yourself what’s best for you I can’t tell any temporal version of you what to do it’s not my place and finally rule number one arguably our most important EV tip is only DC fast charg to 80% and I know I know that sounds counterintuitive but it actually saves you a ton of time and here’s why electric vehicles charge the fastest when they’re between about 10 and 80% that’s why manufacturers commonly list charging times for this range but if a battery state of charge is outside of this window DC fast charging slows down dramatically especially as a pack approaches 100% now here’s an example to illustrate what I mean the Hyundai ionic 5 is a fast charging Champion it’s able to go from 10 to 80% in an incredibly quick 18 minutes something our independent testing has proven how long does it take to get all the way to 100 well for us the car needed an additional 33 minutes to completely fill the battery and that’s nearly twice as long as it took to go from 10 to 80 which is not a good use of time honestly if you stop at 80 and then continue on your journey you can pop in for a quick charge at the next Station instead of waiting around for that last 20% stopping at 80 is a much more efficient way of DC fast charging and it’s something a lot of new EV owners should know about of course if you’re not in a hurry or if you’re driving through an area where there aren’t many DC fast Chargers something you’d know if you planned your route out again that’s rule number two for reference you may want to go all the way to 100% but just know it’s going to take a while so again install a level two charger at home if you can avoid DC fast charging like all the time plan your trips well in advance get the model with the most range that you can reasonably afford and to make the best use of your time only DC fast charge to about 80% now if you already knew these handy dandy tips congrats you’re well on your way to maximizing the EV ownership experience the next thing you’ll need to brush up on is electric vehicle maintenance EVS generally require way less upkeep than combustion powered cars and trucks except for one critical area click over here for all the details
30 Comments
📬Get the latest EV Pulse updates delivered right to your mailbox by joining our mailing list! https://go.evpulse.com/newsletter
I don't know fast charging reduces the battery's life
So it is back to 1950’s road trip planning?
Why on gods green earth do charging ports require phone apps and account sighn ups?
Stop the music 😢
i have 220v in my garage ,car is not charging
Avoid Fast Charging – Really? This is the kind of misinformation that puts people off buying an EV. TIME is the single biggest contributor to battery degradation, not Fast Charging.
I have a 2025 model 3 performance and I like having battery near 100% as I notice increased power
Just got an EV and im taking it back. It was such a propaganda piece for everyone to show me all the charging stations that were "available" only to find out that these pumps are for "hotel guests only" or "customers only." Imagine if gas pumps were only available if you bought snacks from the walk in store or something
Dude, this speaking style is incredibly annoying, but I really appreciate all the information
All that is nonsense the smart batteries will not charge to 100%. The display will show 100% but the batteries are limited for safety. Set it to 100 and go. They tell you to set it to 80 so it doesn't show the charge curve as much
Great advice. Love my EV, but one hiccup people need to know about is that you can drive a significant distance off-route getting to and from charging stations while traveling on the interstate highways. Your EV may tell you you'll be charging for 10 minutes at the next charging station, but your charging station might be 15 minutes away from the exchange. This means your 10 minute stop may actually take 40 minutes away from your travel time (10 minutes to charge plus 30 minutes off-route traveling to/from the charging station). This situation is improving, but if you're unable to adjust your expectations and accept this reality you will be disappointed.
I also think we need governance over charging interfaces (NACS/CCS/…) EVs are still in their infancy, and it's understandable that evolution is still taking place, but from the consumer experience it's a hassle. I'd liken it to the evolution of USB interfaces on computers – you buy USB-A cables and dongles, and the industry moves to USB-C leaving consumers to deal with adapters or upgrading. There are already a ton of abandoned J1772 charging stations, and in ten years both NACS and CCS are likely to have been abandoned as well. I'm opposed to pointless regulation, but in this case it makes sense. A single, international standard would be beneficial to both manufacturers and consumers. "Building codes" are needed to prevent the coming blight of derelict charging stations. It doesn't help the early adopters, but eliminating this hassle will be a long-term win for the EV industry as a whole. EV manufacturers should be working in tandem to develop a unified standard.
Chargers will never be as plentiful as gas stations are, even if everyone converts to EVs.
Even small towns generally have several gas stations, supported by the fact that everyone driving has to buy gas even if just driving locally.
But most EVs are mostly charged up at home most of the time. So the demand is very suppressed.
It would be like if you could buy gas at the gas station for $3/gallon, or you could park in your garage overnight and buy gas for $0.50/gallon. Everyone would just buy the $0.50 gas in their garage unless they were on some unusually long drive.
Let me guess this channel gets kickbacks from L2 charging EVSE companies?
Unless you're driving long distances every single day regular trickle charging is more than enough.
I find a trickle charge at 5 to 10 amps taking it from 80 to 100% is much safer for the battery and I get an increase in range.
Good
The companies installing the new 'Mega' charging stations seem to want you to stay and charge to 100%. They install so many amenities for you to enjoy while charging that you tend to not be in a hurry.
Sir, you look like a nerd, which totally works for this channel and the topic, so from the gorillas like me, thank you for your content. I even love the nerdy humor. This channel is awesome!
4. "Go Big or Go Home" makes no sense. Why would you spend extra money and energy hauling a bigger battery around everyday, just to avoid 3-6 charging sessions, a year, when you visit another state.
Anyone know how this is when charging close to bedroom at night? Compared to microwaves is does not sound totally undangerous..
Charging of EVs should only be allowed from wind and solar😂
New rule. Charge at home, but charge outside. You will sleep better.There have enough house fires associated with charging to always have that in the back of your mind.
Good information, but that voice!!!
JUST DO IT, if you wait for the perfect time you'll waste a lot of money on gas and maintenance and do a lot of damage.
You don't need a L2 at home, do it if you can.
I use a Level 1 charger with 2 EV's. Never charged at a charging station because when 1 car is low on charge, I hop in the other.
Yes its normal battery charging advice to avoid fast charging when possible but there are plenty of Teslas with 100,000+ miles that have been fast charged their entire life.
Do you really need a level 2 charger?
If your commute is 5 miles away 3 miles an hour charging is sufficient.
Jackass just state range on one charge that is number one , then speed of charging , 310 on a charge is no good need 800 to 1000 miles a charge
With Xpeng Motors, none of these constraints are useful! You are free! Taxienve with its G6 has after 97800km in one year and up to 42 rapid charges in one month (September 2025) has a 99% SOC, even if he recharged his NMC battery each night up to 100%, as he is a taxi. A 90% limit is recommanded by Xpeng Motors but this is not a constraint as the system adaptés cleverly to user needs, even if always above what is optimum for the vehicle !
Rule no:1 is actually contradictory to rule no:4. Because charging to 80% forces to use DC chargers more frequently. Also after 80% the BMS reduces the speed to calibrate and reduce the stress on the battery which is actually good.